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Losing a tooth has health consequences that go beyond appearance: it can affect your ability to eat, impact your speech, and lead to gum disease if left untreated. A dentist in Pembroke Pines will easily provide the restorative treatments needed to avoid that, be it a bridge or an implant. 

Although fixing any tooth gap can feel urgent, when navigating dental emergencies, taking the time to consider your options can never go wrong. Dental implants and bridges are both effective solutions, but there are key differences in their procedures, and the benefits they have to offer. 

The Need for Restorative Dentistry  

As the name indicates, restorative dentistry helps restore damaged or missing teeth to a healthy condition by fixing, removing, or replacing a damaged tooth. This last one is called an artificial restoration, that is, replacing the missing teeth entirely. 

This is done to improve dental health, protect your gums, and restore chewing functions. If left untreated, these issues will ultimately cause more problems with your oral health, like tooth fractures becoming worse, cavities, and, in the worst-case scenario, an infection. 

To avoid all of that, while giving your smile a natural look, there are restorative procedures. Depending on your conditions, each one offers specific benefits that make them more appropriate. Here are some things to consider to choosing between implants and crowns. 

What’s an Implant? 

Dental implants are a type of dental restoration where the entire underlying structure of the tooth is replaced with a metal post, often made of titanium or titanium alloys. The goal is to create an ‘artificial tooth root’. 

After the implant has been inserted, a few months need to pass until bone starts to grow around it. Then a crown is placed on top, giving the patient a new and natural-looking tooth. 

Getting a dental implant is a surgical procedure, and on top of that, it can take several months, as the patient has to wait for the bone growth. However, these requirements are also the reason why implants offer some unique benefits, like: 

• Being easier to maintain. 
• Avoiding any alteration and possible damage to the surrounding teeth. 
• Extreme durability, as with proper care an implant can last a lifetime 
• Natural appearance and feel.  

What’s a Bridge? 

As the name indicates, a dental bridge is a union attached to healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth. Then, a false tooth is secured to both of the caps to fill in the remaining space. 

To achieve that, the surrounding teeth need to be shaved down and capped with a dental crown. The process of installing a bridge is much faster, however, its durability is considerably lower as bridges rely on the support of natural teeth. 

This can produce cavities, as it can be challenging to clean dental bridges. Moreover, the stress placed on the adjoining teeth can lead to fractures. 

However, dental bridges still offer some benefits that implants don’t, such as: 

• Avoiding surgical procedures, which leads to faster healing times. 
• The missing tooth gets replaced much more quickly, often within one to three weeks. 
• They can be less expensive on the short run. 

Choosing Between Dental Implants and Bridges  

Some professionals argue that bridges are less costly than implants, but this is a dental myth that needs to be busted. In fact, on the long run, the opposite is actually true. Bridges are less resistant and may need to be changed several times over an adult’s lifespan. On the other side, as long as it is properly done and the patient takes the necessary care, an implant can last your entire lifetime. 

Maintenance of dental implants doesn’t differ from regular oral hygiene practices. Akin to caring for natural teeth, brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-ups can be enough to ensure you don’t need to worry about your missing tooth ever again. 

An implant can also look and feel more natural because it’s attached directly to the jawbone. This makes it a more secure and realistic fit than bridges. However, not every patient can get this solution. 

Some patients lack the bone density necessary to attach an implant. Studies around bone augmentation have been giving great results, but it’s still not a plausible solution for everyone. 

Additionally, the localization of the missing tooth on the mouth may make getting a bridge the only option. These are issues only a specialized doctor will be able to identify, though. 

Get an Implant with a Dentist in Pembroke Pines 

Dental implants and crowns both offer their series of unique benefits and downsides. Based on your preferences and condition, an experienced dentist can help you determine the treatment that best suits your needs. 

If you want to hear more about it, reach out, and have a talk with us!